The figure for 2024 includes international trips paid for by foreign governments, which are within the rules. But campaigners raised concerns that MPs could be opened up to potential undue influence
MPs are allowed to accept gifts and trips abroad but the Government has come under scrutiny for it The current crop of MPs enjoyed £631,000 worth of travel overseas in 2024, including visits paid for by foreign governments and holidays funded by wealthy donors.
In some cases, it was foreign governments, business groups and think-tanks that covered the cost of flights, accommodation and meals during fact-finding exercises. MPs are also allowed to accept gifts, benefits and hospitality, so as long as details are declared in the register. Items must be declared if worth over £300, but there is no limit to the amount they can accept.
Qatar and Taiwan’s foreign ministries were among the biggest funders of overseas visits made by the UK’s current MPs in 2024. Champion, chair of both the International Development Select Committee and the British-Taiwanese All Party Parliamentary Group , said that foreign travel “is sometimes necessary for my parliamentary work”.
Priti Patel, the shadow Foreign Secretary, had over £2,500 of the costs for her visit to Bahrain in December for a security and defence conference covered by the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry covered the £24,600 costs of a February trip made by four Labour MPs – including then-shadow ministers Angela Rayner, David Lammy, Jonathan Reynolds – to meet Indian ministers and business leaders.
Conservative MP Andrew Griffith, the shadow Business Secretary, took a skiing trip to Davos organised by the APPG for Switzerland in January 2024. Some 229 of current MPs accepted gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK donors and companies last year totalling just over £528,000. Following a storm of criticism in September, Starmer paid back over £6,000-worth of the hospitality he had received since entering No 10 – including some of the Swift tickets and rented clothing for his wife.
Chamberlain and the other MPs listed the purpose of the dinner as being to “discuss challenges facing the hospitality and drinks industries”. Deputy Lib Dem Leader Daisy Cooper is also in the top 10 MPs who accepted the most in these benefits – though over a third of the £6,500-worth of gifts and hospitality relate to travel costs for media appearances.
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